Ukraine and France are moving to a new stage of defense cooperation that envisages joint weapons production on the territories of both states. A corresponding Letter of Intent was signed by Ukrainian Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov and French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin.
Fedorov announced the signing on his Telegram channel. According to him, the agreement paves the way for large-scale joint projects within the defense-industrial complex. "We are moving from supplies to joint production and long-term solutions that systematically strengthen our defense," the official emphasized.
During the meeting, the French side confirmed preparations for the transfer of Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine. The parties also discussed accelerating the delivery of these aircraft and continuing work on transferring record volumes of AASM Hammer guided aerial bombs.
Special attention was paid to strengthening Ukraine's skies. Kyiv expressed interest in further supplies of SAMP/T, Mistral, and Crotale air defense systems, as well as ammunition for them. "We proposed working together on upgrading SAMP/T to more effectively counter ballistic threats," Fedorov noted. Parallel work continues on accelerating the production of Aster missiles.
[embed]
The agenda also included the provision of long-range strike capabilities, specifically SCALP missiles, and the development of innovative electronic warfare systems. Financing for these joint initiatives is planned to be sourced, in part, through an EU loan and the SAFE program.
As reported earlier, Zelensky announced the launch of Ukrainian drone production in Germany.